Tom Lake

How does the novel discuss the effects of memory on personal history? What conclusions does the novel come to about the way memory shapes our sense of self?

Consider the passages where Lara’s present is overlaid with memories from her daughters’ childhoods. What is the effect of the passages in which the past and the present are intertwined?

Analyze the character of one of Lara’s daughters. How does this character inform the themes of the novel?

Discuss Patchett’s use of Our Town, and in particular the character of Emily. How do the play and the character deepen the meaning of the novel?

Examine motherhood in the novel. What aspects of motherhood does Patchett explore, and what conclusions does the novel come to?

Explore how race and class work in the novel. Why does the novel emphasize Pallace being Black? How does Duke’s affinity for the upstart Lopakhin from Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard play into the farm’s class dynamics?

The novel is interested in work ethic. Compare the working styles of at least two characters. What does the way they approach their professions say about the concept of labor in the novel?

Tom Lake is rich with literary references, most specifically to the theater. Analyze Patchett’s use of literature and theater references throughout the novel.